KSC-2013-3238

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As seen on Google Maps, a Space Shuttle Main Engine, or SSME, stands inside the Engine Shop at Orbiter Processing Facility 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Each orbiter used three of the engines during launch and ascent into orbit. The engines burn super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and each one produces 155,000 pounds of thrust. The engines, known in the industry as RS-25s, could be reused on multiple shuttle missions. They will be used again later this decade for NASA's Space Launch System rocket. Google precisely mapped the space center and some of its historical facilities for the company's map page. The work allows Internet users to see inside buildings at Kennedy as they were used during the space shuttle era. Photo credit: Google/Wendy Wang

Date: 2013-08-09
Collection: KSC
Archive: NASA Image and Video Library
Type: photograph